Are you getting enough Vitamin D?

Vitamin D is known to be a great supplement to anyone’s diet. And recent studies found that Vitamin D has got many different benefits and can actually cut your risk of cancer by 60 percent. According to Dr. Joseph Mercola “optimizing your Vitamin D levels can help you to prevent as many as 16 different types of cancer including pancreatic, lung, breast, ovarian, prostate, and colon cancers”.

Vitamin D is a nutrient that supports the absorption of calcium, helping to maintain and form strong bones. It also supports breast, colon and prostrate health, as well as tooth, muscular and immune health.

Vitamin D is found in fish, eggs, fortified milk, and cod liver oil. But it can also be made by sunlight (UV rays) on skin. According to the Mayo Clinic, as little as 10 minutes of sun exposure a day is thought to be enough to prevent deficiencies and disease.

There are two different types of Vitamin D and they should not be confused with one another (Vitamin D2 (Ergocalciferol) and Vitamin D3 (Cholecalciferol)). Vitamin D2 is a synthetic form of Vitamin D, whereas the body naturally manufactures Vitamin D3 when skin is in contact with sunlight.

Studies have shown that Vitamin D2 is far less effective than Vitamin D3 as it has a much shorter shelf life and its metabolites do not bind well with proteins.

So when shopping for Vitamin D in your local pharmacy, be sure to choose the preferred form, D3, when choosing a D supplement.

For healthy adults the recommendation is 1000 IU per day of D3, 400 IU per day for children. However, you should always talk to your doctor about dosage.